


The Sound Of Drums

by zephyr2113



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Doctor Who
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Relationships to Be Added - Freeform, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn, Time Lord History, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-18 00:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16107137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyr2113/pseuds/zephyr2113
Summary: What if all that you thought you were was just the beginning? Xander is in Africa, searching for Slayers when he hears an odd sound, one he has heard all of his life in dreams. The old fob watch grandfather gave him opens a door to a new self, new allies and a chance at a love that lasts. And of course, a prophecy.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a WIP a long time in the making. It is also my first time posting since we only had LJ. As a longtime lurker, you amazing writers have been extremely welcoming. Thank you all. I don't have a beta, so if I miss something, please tell me. Also, i glady welcome more ideas. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Note 2: I'm using my phone posting this and still am learning how to format. Bear with me, please.

     At the end of it all, Spike went out, not with a bang or whisper, but with a sigh. He was the only one left. His demon and soul both enraged and so very tired. Sire was gone. They were all gone. Too many enemies for him to fight alone. He never saw the huge skeletal one behind him, arm raised to strike. He felt bones and muscle tear and sighed. It was over. He never heard the humming machine or a door opening. He never heard a choked voice say _"No."_

And Time stopped.

 

_Three hours earlier._

     The alley, cold and dismal, set the mood for the upcoming battle that Peaches had marshaled these last few months. Most of AI was gone. Fred, his last real friend, was now standing immobile in blue armor. Gunn was fading fast. Lorne had walked away, heartsick over his task. Wes simply had not come back from his. Spike called the whole thing a kamikaze run himself. Nevertheless, he was here to help, his soul insisting.

     The wind kicked up trash and mud, suddenly violent itself. A flash of light lit the hordes of demons and scattered humans. The sound of drums resonated and shook the walls. The demon in Spike exalted, glad to go to final death in battle, fists and fangs. The soul was afraid, but agreed that this last death was honorable. Spike looked at Angel, grinning madly.

    "What d'ya say, Peaches? A bloody good one, me old china."

     "Aye, boy. A fine way to go. William, I am glad you're here with me. We are magnificent demons still. Let's go to work."

     "Wait." They turned, even Blue. Spike blinked. " _Whelp_?"


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rescue and a bit of conversation.

    If pressed to say when his world view had changed, he usually pointed to Buffy's arrival in town. But it really started with the dreams. For as long as he could remember, he dreamed of a man who traveled everywhere, always traveling with people, yet so alone. He dreamed of strange places and spaceships, honest-to-God spaceships. The dreams were both terrifying and fantastic. He never remembered the specifics, but always felt a distant yearning when he woke. The life he had now was so lonely compared to his dreams. He wanted to see the stars. He tried to tell Willow and Jesse, but they didn't understand. So, they would camp out in one of their yards and watch the constellations. By the time they were ten, Xander could name every one.  
  
Spike loved Dru, he really did. But he'd grow uneasy when she would speak of the man-not-man, robots, blue boxes, and the Master-not theirs-and the oncoming storm. She looked at him once and said,  
     "Spike, your beginning is at an ending and the kitten is not as the world would see him now, before or will again. You shall see the Bad Wolf, the Eternal man, and the lonely man made of starlight. The girl who would be one, two, and none at all. You will see yourself in future tense, a burning light. Deadly and fragile still. You will rest in the Oncoming Storm." Spike was a forward thinking demon, even if it was ten seconds forward, so he wrote her dreams and words in the journal he secretly kept. When Prague was a vicious memory, he would remember seeing a man with ancient eyes staring at Dru, and shiver.  
  
     In Sunnyhell, alone once more, he would read the words and wonder. The man-not-man sounded like him, but not. He often thought that the man was lucky. He got to leave instead of be left. Spike's time with The Initiative gave him a reason to pause. And so did the Slayer's boy, Xander. He would often say or do things to draw attention away from Spike when the Slayer got too acidic towards him. The boy seemed to be alone, too. Distant as though waiting for something or someone. Over the weeks he stayed with Xander, he would catch him playing with an old fob watch.

  
"Yours, then."

  
"Nah, my grandfather's. He said he found it lying in the road when he was a boy. He gave it to me when I was ten. Said I'd know when to open it."

  
"Do you?"

  
"Not yet. When I see the skies bleed."

  
"What the bloody hell does that mean?"

  
"I...don't know. I dreamed that last night. In the biggest library ever, there was a little journal, a woman's. It had my name in it and said that I would open the watch when the skies bled. Weird. Giles would have a fit over the place, all the books ever written. In the dream, I called out but no one was there, but I asked anyway. ‘What would happen?’ There was a voice and she whispered 'Spoilers.' Then I woke up. Crazy, huh."

     Spike started to grin and frowned, hesitant. "Do you know about the Oncoming Storm. Dru told me once that I'd rest in it. My Dru, she knew things. She- " He stopped. The boy was pale. "Not yet! Nothing's happened yet. We can't know!" Spike put his hand on his shoulder. "Okay, Xander, okay." They never spoke of it again.  
  
     When Glory happened and then that terrible summer, Xander anxiously fixated on the watch; surely it was now. No, he knew it wasn't. Buffy was brought back and he swallowed his guilt and looked forward to his wedding, despite his increasing dread. And on that day, running out of the church, he saw a box, blue, out of the corner of his eye and touched the watch. Still not time. Then The First came and Spike had a soul. Xander took him in again, not because they asked, but because he reminded him of the man from his dreams, so alone. So honest, even when it hurt. So caring for Dawn and Buffy, even if she pretended not to notice. He knew what that was like. Everyone you knew so well, only taking, not bothering to see who you really were and give back. So, Xander would make sure that, even if they died tomorrow, he wouldn't be alone anymore.  
  
     Spike was gone, burnt to ash, and Xander found himself in Africa with baby Slayers, or as Spike's ever popular nickname dubbed them, snak-packs, although he never said it out loud. He often thought of him at night, when he could be honest with himself. He missed the vampire, more than Anya, even more than Joyce and Tara. He had liked him, even when soulless. He even admitted that he had sometimes wished for things that could not be. He could love Spike, because it was too late. Come morning, they were fighting an unknown species when one of the girls screamed, pointing up. The sky was red, lightning streaking in every direction. He stared at the watch and heard his grandfather's voice. _Yes_. It was time. 


	3. Two A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixing stuff continually. Thanks for sticking with it.

     Everything stopped and began again. The very first moment to the end of every atom. All life, every second unfolding. He saw the first demon, even though he now knew different. Demons were from other worlds, escaping from the biggest war the universe had ever seen. He saw short, sentient metal machines fighting men and beings from other places. _Time War. It was called the Time War._ An important one; the last one. And he saw his own life. Not his current one, but his life through the whole of time and space. He saw himself fighting alongside the man-not-man from the dreams. _The Doctor._ He remembered the joy and desolation of fighting, of winning and losing. But never fear. And then he remembered life as Alexander LaVelle Harris. The good, bad, extraordinary and unbelievable. Remembered Buffy, Willow, Giles, Dawn, Spike, and Angel. The love and anger, the loss and hope they all had. He loved them all still, even more now. He wondered if it mattered _and who was he now?_  now that he could have everything within reach, all of time and space. He didn't have time to answer any of those questions. The air began to shift as an odd noise sounded. A tall box appeared like a static radio transmission, fading in and out. The blue box! _TARDIS_ , his mind supplied. _That meant The Doctor and hopefully some answers._ The box solidified into an old British 1950s police telephone box, and a skinny pale guy in a pinstriped suit strolled out. He had red Chuck Taylors on his feet and was apparently talking to someone inside. "The signal ends here, but I don't know who it's from. Why Africa, the Congo, of all places?" He was followed out by a dark skinned girl in blue jeans and a red leather jacket. She saw him first and nudged her friend. "Doctor. Maybe you can ask him." The man turned and just stared. "You. Did you-? Are you-?" He seemed to run out of words. Xander blinked and went for it. "Are you The Doctor?" The pinstripe guy nodded.

     "Oh."

     "Who're you, then?"

     "I'm Xander Harris. At least I was. Now, I'm someone else. Like you."

    "You sent the signal?"

"No, I just opened the watch."

The Doctor nodded again. The girl whispered "Just like the Professor. He's a Time Lord." He whispered back, "Hopefully not like Saxon." In a louder voice, he asked "So, Xander Harris. What's an American doing in the Congo? Also, where did you get that watch?"

     Xander contemplated how much to tell him and shrugged. He figured if he and The Doctor were the same race- _species?_ -then he probably already knew. Or some other explanation that defied logic and sounded cool. The funny thing was that he felt like himself still, but also like Giles and Willow must feel, smart and capable. _Oh God, Giles! Willow! Should he tell them? What about the girls? Hey, maybe Dawn was something like he now was._ Even as he thought it, he discarded the notion. No, his Dawnie wasn't like a Time Lord, but was still special. "Ok, do you know when you are?" The girl answered while staring in shock at the frozen field. "Hello, I'm Martha Jones and I thought we were going home to 2007...but this is Africa. What the _hell is that?!_ " Xander looked down at the corpse.  "Dunno. Wait, I actually do know! Ha, take that, Andrew! Oh, it's a Silurian, land cousin of-"

     "The Sea Devils! Blimey, you're fantastic! Although there's never been an American Time Lord. Well, not that I noticed. Well, maybe the once. Well, I say that now but I could be wrong. This hasn't happe--" Martha rolled her eyes and opened her mouth at the same time as Xander shouted, "DOCTOR!" They grinned at each other.

     "Um, you said you wanted to know where I got the watch. My grandfather found it. He never said exactly where, just a town in the United Kingdom. Cardiff or something. Oh and it's 2004, by the way. May 14th. Oh God. Shit! Spike! We have to go! You have to take me to California! We gotta save the world! Again! God, is this what Buffy feels like all the time?" 

"Who's Buffy? And what kind of name is that? What spike? A rift spike in California? I don't remember that ever happening." The Doctor looked like he was gonna reach orbit, he was so excited.

"No! Buffy is my friend, The Slayer. From California. And it's a nickname. Spike is my friend, sorta. Look, I've got all these new memories and stuff and I know that what's happening there is gonna shape the world. They're important. _He's_ important."

"Your friends, they human?" Martha didn't look freaked out anymore, though Xander supposed that surprises happened a lot, travelling all over the universe. "Well, Buffy is,  usually. And Spike....he's a vampire."

"REALLY?!? Let's go, then! Martha! A real live modern vampire! That's fantastic!" He ran to the doors and disappeared inside. Xander started to follow Martha and looked back. Everyone was frozen, locked in battle. He wondered if it was right, leaving them there alone. 

"They'll be alright." The Doctor had come back outside. The young man looked so torn. So, this one was a Time Lord. He could see the strength in him, the kindness as well as the ability to be ruthless if need be. Yes, he was definitely one of his own. _You are not alone._ The Face of Boe's words came back. He really hoped this wouldn't turn out the same as Saxon. He'd been so sad and angry since then, and now he knew he was going to lose Martha. She hadn't said, but he knew. This Xander Harris was not like Saxon. He didn't have his coldness. He wanted to save a vampire! The Doctor was giddy about finally seeing one. He'd met the demon equivalent of their ancestors, once. _Ah, the Turok-Han. A bloodthirsty race. Ha!_ Anyway, they'd pop over to California, save the world, drop Martha off- _or convince her to stay_ -and maybe even have proper tea. He couldn't wait to see Xander's face when he walked inside. "So, come on, then. Let's go save the world." He grinned and sauntered through the door.

     Xander couldn't get his jaw of the ground. The TARDIS was everything he'd ever hoped for. So beautiful. It was HUGE! He managed to finally stop gaping and couldn't help grinning. _Spike would love this! Hey, maybe he'd even seen it before! How cool was that!?_ The Doctor tapped him on the shoulder.

     "We're here." He didn't look happy. Instead he looked sad. Xander kept on grinning until he looked at the screen.

\---------------

     At the end of it all, Spike went out, not with a bang or whisper, but with a sigh. He was the only one left. His demon and soul both enraged and so very tired. Sire was gone. They were all gone. Too many enemies for him to fight alone. He never saw the huge skeletal one behind him, arm raised to strike. He felt bones and muscles tear and sighed. It was over. He never heard the humming machine or a door opening. He never heard a choked voice say " _No._ " 

And Time stopped.


	4. Two B

Xander whirled around. "Doctor! This is a time machine, right? So, punch it. We need to save them! Right now!" The Doctor was staring sadly at the screen, still. Xander waved at him. "Hey, Earth to Alien! Go back!" 

"Right! When do you want? Two weeks, two minutes?"

"Um, three hours okay with you?"  
"Right, then. Three hours it is! Hang on to something." Xander was nearly knocked off his feet. _He did say to hang on._ The three crowded around the screen as he pointed. "That's Deadboy. I mean, Angel. He's Spike's Grandsire. I don't know who the blue chick is. And...and that's Spike. That is a metric ton of demons out there. They're actually gonna try and fight them all."  
The Doctor noted Xander's shock and awe, even respect, for the trio of fighters. 

"Why do you call the tall bloke 'Deadboy?'"

"Well, we go way back. He's a vamp with a soul like taffy or something. He went evil, killed and tortured some friends, and broke my best friend's heart. I hated him for a long time. Now, not so much. I'm...learning to let things go." 

"What changed?" 

"Spike. He's...well, Spike. Wait 'till you meet him. You'll get it. Okay, here goes." He opened the door where Angel and Spike were talking. 

"What d'ya say, Peaches? A bloody good one, me china." 

"Aye, boy. A fine way to go. William, I'm glad you're here with me. We are magnificent demons still. Let's go to work." 

Xander stepped forward and took a deep breath.  
"Wait." 

They turned, even Blue. Spike blinked. "Whelp?"  
"Hi. Well, this is awkward." Still staring and then Spike took out a cigarette and lit up.  
"What the bloody hell are you doin' here?"

"It's not nice to swear at the man who's saving your life." They all turned towards The Doctor and Martha standing in the doorway.  
"Who the bloody hell are you two? Whelp, you'd better start talking. In case you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a bloody battle!" 

"Excellent point, lad. Spike, is it? I suggest you let me handle it. Xander, lend a hand, yeah?" The three watched as Xander and the other man walked past. Spike smoked and took stock. Something was off about the man. He smelled like ozone, but not, like something more. And so did the Whelp. He had to know. "Oi, what are you doing? Do you even have weapons?"  
The man stopped. "Do we have weapons? Blimey! Hold on, I think I have something on the ship."  
"Doc. I have something already. All that we need." He squinted at Xander. Was he _glowing?_  
"Bloody hell!"  
"Xander?" Angel turned to Spike. "Are you seeing this? What the-"  
"Don't know, Peaches. Now shut it!" The boy was glowing. In fact, he seemed to burn with yellowish light. The skinny bloke paled.  
"The bio energy! Quick! Get back! It's too unstable!"  
"It's ok, Doc. Doesn't even hurt. " Xander turned towards the mass of demons. "Go home. Now." The light spread outward and engulfed everything it touched. Eyes watering, all but the Doctor turned away, reeling from the brightness. When the light faded, every living thing but them had disappeared.  
Angel blinked. "Where'd they go? And where is the Wolfram And Hart building?" 

"Home." 

"What do you mean 'home'?  
Xander rolled his eyes. And smiled. Spike rather liked this smile. It wasn't pleasant. "I sent them home. Their planets. That kind of home." The Doctor gaped at him. "But some of those don't exist anymore!"  
"I know. Those went to other realities where they do exist." 

"You couldn't have!" 

"I did! Look, it's done, okay. I didn't exactly get a user's manual. Well, kinda. The point is that it had to be done. It got done. You know why." He sighed and put his head in his hands. All he wanted was a breather. Shifting them took a lot of energy and since he'd been woken up or regenerated or whatever-it-was without the almost dying, he felt bone tired. Spike moved closer, cautiously. "What are you, Xander?" 

"I'm a Time Lord." 

"And that means..." 

"Look, this is gonna take a while to explain. Angel, Spike, do you want to stay here or come with us?" Spike smirked, "You mean, in the bobby box there?"  
"Spike! It's a fucking spaceship, like the dreams, ok? Yes or no?" Spike frowned, shrugged and froze.  


"You've got both your eyes!" Angel stared at Spike. "Did you get hit or something?" Spike glared back. "No! Evil bloke, name o' Caleb, took his left one right before Sunnyhell imploded." "Oh. Uh. Sorry. At least it's back now. But, I think I'll stay. People still need help and there's still evil in the world."  
The Doctor grinned and clapped Angel on the back. "Good for you, mate! Ah, the human race! So courageous!" Spike raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, who didn't notice. 

"Ah, mate. We're not human." 

"Well, it's all semantics, anyway. But, that's great! A Vampire changed by the daily lives and dealings of humans. Moved to champion those in need. Brilliant!" He grinned wider. "So, that's me, Martha, Xander, and you, Spike. And the Primordial God-King, Illyria! Fantastic!" Illyria chose that moment to wander over. 

"You know of my irrefutable reign, lower being? Then you should know that your insubstantial dimensional transport cannot hold one of such power as mine. I know all and am older than time."  
"Your Kingliness, then you should know that I am Time. Oh. And so's Xander." He grinned cheerfully at her. Martha blanched. "She's not coming, right?" 

Illyria glanced at Martha, who shrank away. "No, I shall help the other half-breed rule this teeming mass of insects with an iron club." 

"Ooookay then. Spike, this is The Doctor and this is Martha Jones, his companion." 

"You mean, like...?" 

"NO!" They both nearly shouted. Spike turned to Xander, his tongue between his teeth. "M'I to be your companion, then?" Xander went red. "Spike!" 

Spike chuckled and turned back to Angel. "Peaches, it's been...swell. Blue, keep him in line, right? No leaping off rooftops and no bloody capes." Angel scowled. "Spike, shut up. You'll come back, right? I mean, if you get into trouble-What am I saying? See you soon, Childe. Xander, take care. Just because you're Time doesn't make you invincible. Doctor, Martha." He frowned and turned away. "Angel?" "Yeah?" It was the Doctor. 

"Could you-" He trailed off and looked sheepish. Spike sighed, "Show 'em your gameface, Sunshine."  


"What?" Angel was so surprised that he vamped out to a cry of "That's fanstastic!"  
He walked towards Downtown LA, hearing Spike's laughter and Xander's "Doc, come on! Spike can do the same thing. Spike! Get in the damn TARDIS!" And he smiled.


	5. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More talking. Stuff goes down, mostly words.

Spike took a step in, blinked and took a step back out. Soul and demon were too stunned to offer up anything. Inside was a giant cavern of crazy equipment. Outside, a blue bobby box. "Oi, am I really seeing this?" He jumped as a voice spoke. "You get used to it, sort of." Spike smirked. "I imagine so. Martha, yeah? 'M' Spike. Xan's, well, roommate. And friend. Sometimes. Depended on the day." 

"Aren't vampires evil?" 

"Hey! Well, yeah. But got a soul, haven't I." 

"Really??" "Why'd you do that?" 

"For the girl. Not as such now, though. Gotten used to 'im, I suppose." 

Xan watched the three of them. Now that he'd saved him, he didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he was, not really. All the information in his head told him was that there were bigger and better things to see. But for now he was still lost. _I guess I should explore what this means. Could never just stand by and watch. Why start now?_ "Xan? Do I get my answers now? Why'd you save me? Just a vamp, aren't I? We weren't friends, not really. So, why?" 

"Um, sure Spike. Do you remember back in the basement? And I told you about my dreams.  
Well, I've had them my whole life. And I saw the Doctor, but with a different face and this one. And I saw you and Drusilla. She knows, Spike. That's what she meant when we met. She said my face was a poem and now I can read it. So, I know that you are meant to be here, Spike. And we are important, just like Buffy but not just to Earth. I can feel what's coming and we have to outlast them all. Doc, the reason I'm here is to save you." He held the Doctor's gaze until Spike shifted. 

"Well, that's alright then. So, Doctor. Got any blood on hand? Bloody starving, me." No reply. They were still staring. _Bollocks. Gotta get 'em sorted or they'll be gawping all night. And apparently, we have worlds to save. If the Slayer could see us now._ He cleared his throat. "Well, then, Doc. Where're we going?" 

__

"Ah, yes. Good question. Xander? Or do you have name you're called?" 

"No. Or maybe. I'm supposed to, but it's...hidden. Um, why don't we just see where we end up? Kinda got used to flying blind." 

"Right, then. Always liked surprises. Push that dial, there. A pull of that lever, and off we go. Allons-y!"  
Spike looked at Xander, who shrugged. They both turned to Martha, "It's his war cry. And exclamation point. And catch phrase, come to think."  
"Oh. See, Spike? He's like you with your 'Bloody hell' and 'Sodding.'"  
"No! Mine mean things...like a war cry...and sod this! Gonna go looking, then." He stomped off, growling. Xander laughed to himself and looked at Martha, who was gazing at Doc. "So, how'd you end up traveling with him?" 

"Oh, some aliens made our hospital disappear and reappear on the moon and we almost died and he saved us. Oh and there are alien police! It was brilliant! Sounds unbelievable, right?" "You'd be surprised. I grew up in a town called Sunnydale. Went to high school on top of a Hellmouth." 

"What's a Hellmouth?"<

"Spike, you wanna field this one?" Spike walked back, cigarette in hand. "Right then, kiddies. Ol' Spike's gonna spin a tale. The Hellmouth is a doorway to other worlds where demons live. Hell dimensions, to be exact. Not all demons come from there. It's merely a source of immense power to most of us. Us demons are drawn to it. We crave it. Unfortunately, once the door opens, earth gets hell. Lots of it. Now, mind you, I like this world. S'got my food. Humans. And Passions and proper footie. Humans also seem to like this world. Gotta keep the food happy. So, long ago, there were these men who liked the world, too. So, they took the essence of a demon and mated it with a human girl to fight the darkness. Called her a Slayer, who kills vamps and the like. One for evey generation after the other dies. The men who made the Slayer are now called Watchers. Now, fast forward a lot. Year of 1997. Buffy Summers, from Los Angeles, finds herself in Sunnydale with her new Watcher, Rupert Giles, a stuffy Englishman. At her new school, which sits right on top of the Hellmouth, she meets the Whelp and his childhood chums, Willow Rosenberg and another boy. Their friend gets vamped, they demand he be rescued and Xan has to stake him. They decide to help the Slayer fight evil. First Slayer to ever have help. It made her unstoppable. Now, a really long story shorter, I was once a villain, then got a behavior modchip shoved in me brain. Slayer takes me in because the people that did it were the US Government, secret branch. The Initiative were supposed to be humans 'fighting evil' with high tech gizmos, except they weren't. The head scientist created evil in the form of Adam, a monster mashup of human and demon alike, bent on takin' over. I gave the Slayer's group info and they defeated it through magic. Of course, there was a bit of double crossing, but that got sorted. Then I stayed with Xander Harris, the token Normal. No powers, no genius intellect or sorcery, just brave and determined. So, he shows me his grandda's watch and tells me his dreams. My Dru had dreams, too. So, I knew that we were connected, but not how. But, we'll get to that, I'm sure. So, moving on. Then Glorificus the Hellgod comes. She wants to use the Key-Buffy's little sis, Dawn- to go home. The Key is mystical energy, another doorway. Dawn was created by monks to hide it, made from Slayer's blood so she would always be protected. We defeated Glory, but lost the Slayer. And this time, not another was called, thank Christ. Then Red gets a brilliant idea to bring her back. I know what grief does, but you can't fuck with mojo like that, ever, without a backlash. They pulled her from heaven. Nearly took herself out, she was so self destructive. I fancied myself in love, so I tried to help. Didn't, though. And found myself with William again. My soul. And then it got worse. They ripped a hole in time, bringing her back, and the First Evil came through. We fought it with Potentials-girl who aren't called, but could be-and Xan lost an eye and I...died; saved the world with crap jewelry. Because someone had to. I wanted to be good, to be a better man. Then I wasn't dead, but ghost-like, with Peaches and Percy, Charlie-boy, Fred, and Green Bean. Peaches ran an evil law firm, connected to hell, through The Senior Partners. He's got a soul, too. Was cursed with it, but has one all the same. He lost his way a bit, till he found it. And then you came." Martha was speechless.

"Okay, so I guess nothing will come as a shock, then. Spike, how old _are_ you?" Xander perked up. He never gotten a straight answer from him. Spike just laughed. "Old enough to know not to give a straight answer. Look damn good though, I'd wager."  
"Dammit. Come on, Spike! You never told us, really." 

"Well, yeah. You lot can't do maths to figure it out, your loss." 

"Wait I know this one. Dusty book time. He's from Victorian England, right? Watcher diaries say he was born in 1855. Ha! Martha, Spike here is 149 years old." 

"Blimey, you're a baby!" 

"Sod off, Doc. How old are you?" 

"900." 

"Whoa! Hey, he's older than Batface!" Spike grinned at Xander. 

"So, Xander. I'd take a guess and say your Hellmouth is a Rift. And since you grew up there, you absorbed rift energy. Now, your grandfather found this watch in Cardiff. And there's only one other person who's had a watch like this. But it's impossible. He's gone, now." 

"You're talking about the Master. I'm not him. And this is Yana's watch except that it's changed. Its' time on the Hellmouth changed it. My grandpa told me that when he found it, the watch spoke to him. I think he was like Dru with the seeing. It told him my name before he had my mom. He said that it told him that I was to be made from an enemy and would be a child of Hell, which would make me different. Not good or bad. It said I would help the Saviour of mankind-I think that's Buffy-and protect the Lonely God. That's how I got my name, Alexander. The watch never spoke to me, except when big things happened." 

"The hyena thing." 

"And the soldier. The First. I could sometimes see things. Dawnie being the Key and what people needed to hear, to help them win and not be afraid." 

"That's why Caleb took your eye." Spike looked pissed about that. He smiled at Spike. "And you. That's why I stood up for you. I know you, William. And I know you were with us both, Doctor. Thank you." The Doctor looked flustered. "No need to thank me. I don't know what you are, really. I don't remember you from Gallifrey. But, I'm glad you're here." 

"I'm something new. A new kind of Time Lord, your Guard. But don't call me that. My friends call me Xan." They grinned at each other. 

"Xan, Martha, Spike. Let's see where we are now." He opened the door and looked.


	6. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jack hits on our heroes and leaves the world for a time.

"Now then. Before we go, Xan, don't get grievously injured. You'll regenerate and that'd be just plain rude. Just getting used to you, aren't I. And Spike, umm... stay with Xan. No telling what'll happen. Oh! Have to get you two keys. Locksmith's, then. Martha, don't need to worry about you. You're old hat, yeah?" 

The four trooped out the TARDIS and into an empty street. There were empty dilapidated buildings surrounding them on nearly all sides. The Doctor turned to the three of them. "Well, anyone have any ideas on where and when this could be? No? I say we go looking. Well, then. Shall we?" He looked left and right, nodded to himself and walked off, whistling. Spike took out yet another cigarette and said "He always like that?" Martha laughed, "Always. Come on, then. Let's go before trouble finds him first." Xander looked at Spike and shrugged. "Whelp. You heard the lady." They walked slowly, looking around. "Spike, do you hear anyone? Or cars or anything"" Spike paused, letting his demon stretch and strain. "No. No cars or people. No birds or even insects. Something's wrong. Oi! You two get back here. Something's off." 

"What is it? Does this creep you out or is it just me?" Martha looked worried, now. The Doctor, curious. Spike nodded at the girl. She was dead sharp, for a human. "I can't sense anything. There's no life. Look here, at the sky. Just night. No moon or stars. Empty." Spike didn't like this. It was one thing to go haring off to new worlds, but going to a dead one was not good. If everything was gone, what had happened? What if there were worse things that couldn't be detected? "Xan? You're a whatsit like Doc here, right? And you know things, like the history of the universe. So, maybe you know what's wrong with this place. There's always life to places, even down to plant life. But...nothing. Do you know?" 

Xander closed his eyes and thought back to when he'd changed, for lack of a better word. He sifted though brand new memories, but couldn't find any of them. Himself, the Doctor, Martha or Spike. His eyes flew open. "Doctor, am I meant to remember us? Here and now? Or is everything hidden to me?" "Well, it's different for each of us. You have your own timeline. There are fixed events in time. And ones that are in flux. Your friends' fight, that you could change, because it wasn't fixed. I'm staring to remember you from the war, but I can't tell you who you are. Each Time Lord is a fixed point, but when the chameleon arch hid you, it put the human you in flux. So, the way you were in life is essentially you as a Time Lord. But, to answer your question, I don't know." Xander clenched his teeth, cutting off a scream. "Great! That's great! Still the fucking Zeppo, huh? I get to know all about random stuff, like weird aliens and mad computer skills and physics, but I can't figure out where we are! Fucking great. And of course, still can't do magic. Can't help anyone. Hell, can't even be a good Time Lord!"  
"Whoa! Hold on there! You can't just flip out. I mean, look at the Doctor. He gets into trouble all the time! And gets us out, usually by just really random luck. And smarts. He's really good at thinking on his feet, makes it up as he goes along. From what Spike said, you're just the same. So, what if you're not a GPS? You're a Time Lord and apparently what you had as human Xander was enough to hang about with superheroes, so shut it, stop worrying about being great at things and just...be." Spike beamed at her and the Doctor. "I like her. She's bloody brilliant!"  
"I know!" He took out his sonic screwdriver and started walking again. "Well, the air's oxygen based and it feels like Earth. Or a planet like Earth. Wait a minute! There's something coming from...looks like east." They followed and Spike leaned towards Xander. "She's right, you know. You always did come through for Buffy and the others. One thing Dru taught me is that there are no coincidences. You were meant to be a Time Lord and meant to be Xander Harris as well. I've always believed in destiny. So, think of this as a new start. Oh, and why don't you have one of those pointy shiny things like Doc?"  
"It's lost." 

"How do you know that?" 

"I remember, sort of." 

"Hey! Over here! There's someone here! Jack?!" 

The Doctor was peering in a building that was mostly gone, brick dust coated everything, including a single figure laying at an odd angle. There was a piece of torn paper in his hand. He turned him over and Xander gasped. "Oh my God! My grandfather knew him! He had a picture and everything. He said that this guy saved his life." He bent and eased the paper away. "This is the picture." There were two young men. Both tall with dark hair. One was a spitting image of Xander, but with a finer face, and the other had blue eyes. So this was Captain Jack Harkness.  
His grandfather never liked talking about the war, either one that he'd fought in. Xander's father, Tony, would always belittle him saying no real man was ashamed of fighting and make him talk about it.  
"He'd only been sixteen when he'd enlisted in World War I and had met the Captain soon after. He'd been in the trenches on the Somme and could never remember the exact day, but they'd been firing at each other for ages. The Germans stopped and the general mounted a surprise attack. Or tried to. He was supposed to go with the others but someone pulled him back down into the trench. Nealy everyone else but them died. The guy was named Jack Harkness. They became friends and then he disappeared before the war ended. My grandfather told me that when you were at war, you made friends for life. Even after they went on. He would tell me about him, how funny he was. We shouldn't leave him here." 

The Doctor lifted the man over his shoulders, trying for leverage."We won't. I know him, too. He's my friend." Spike stopped him. "Let me. Don't think we should stick around too long." He heaved Jack over in a fireman's carry. "Where to?" Jack began waking up, nearly making Spike drop him. 

"What the hell? Why am I looking at a leather covered butt, not that the view's bad or anything. But I'd like the blood to rush to other places." Spike let him go. "The view gets better and better. I'm Captain Jack Harkness and you?" Xander could practically hear Spike leering. 

"Spike. View's fantastic from here, too." 

The Doctor looked from one to the other. "Really? There's someone worse than you?" Xander laughed. "Spike's always been like that. Maybe he's met his match." That thought wasn't sitting well with him. Jack turned to him and grinned. "Hello to you, too."  
"Jack!" The Doctor looked really annoyed now. Xander was almost tempted to laugh. _He should lighten up a bit. The guy's just doing what's natural. Wonder what he'd be like vamped. Probably the same but with sharper teeth._

"What?? Is that Martha? So great to see you!" He gave Martha a huge hug, nearly lifting her off the ground. Then he turned back to Xander and had to ask, "Why do you look familiar? And what's your name?"  
"Xander. And you knew my grandfather, Alden." 

"Huh. How is Alden? We had some great times."  
"He died twelve years ago. How are you still alive? And you look just like you do in the picture."  
"Long story. But more importantly, you're not human. What are you?" 

The Doctor stepped in. "He's like me, Jack." Jack just stared in shock. "How is that possible? He's not like the Master, is he?" 

"No, I'm not. I'm more like the Doctor. Except I like weapons. And hate bananas."  
"I like you already. So, Xander the new Time Lord, how'd you meet him? And do you know your Spike's a vampire?" Spike piped up, glaring at him. "Yeah, he does. Xan and me go way back. Problem, mate?"  
Jack laughed. _Wow, he's territorial._ "I bet you do. No problem at all. How'd you find me, Doctor?" 

"We weren't looking for you. Where's your team? And what happened here?" At that question, Jack's face lost all traces of life. "They're gone. Ianto's dead. Gwen...I left her. She's gonna have a kid with Rhys. I couldn't be around them. I brought so much death to their lives. I had to go." 

"Do you want to come with us?" Xander couldn't stand to see that look on his face. He'd seen it so much in the past seven years. That look that was tired. Of living, of being alive and letting everyone else all around you fall because someone had to make hard choices. He may not have been take charge guy before, but that didn't mean he couldn't start. Spike was right. He felt brand new.


	7. Five A

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor and Xander get a clue about history and identities.

Xander led them back the way they'd come, thinking about Jack and what them finding him meant. His fingers unerringly found the watch, but he supposed it was just reflex. It was just a watch now, previously the Master's. The question was why. Why his watch and why now? Why had he become this? Another thing hidden. He sighed, causing Martha to look at him. "What's got you all blue, sighing and the like?" 

"Just trying to make sense of this. The why of it all. What am I supposed to do?" 

"I don't know about you, but we just go lookin'. At the universe, I mean. All those planets and beings, just waiting for someone to find them. I met him on a chance. Just 'cause he was curious. My advice would be to just have fun. Overthinking leads to panic." He smiled at her. "You remind me of someone. She was the best out of all of us. Wise, kind, and calming. Her name was Tara. You'd have liked her." 

"Did she die?" 

"Yeah. Shot by a stupid angry kid." Spike strolled up next to them. "So, how 'm'I gonna eat. Doubt the Doc has any plasma laying 'round the ship."  
"Blood banks!" They looked at Martha again. "Nearly every planet has got a hospital, yeah? So we stock up. Problem solved. Blimey, I keep forgetting you're a bleedin' vampire!" 

Spike leered at her. "'Cause I'm irresistible, yeah?" She rolled her eyes "No, 'cause you look like that singer from the 80s. What's his name?" Xander burst out laughing, nearly falling down with tears streaming down his face. "Didn't you tell Buffy he stole your look?" He managed to gasp out. 

"He okay?" Jack was looking concerned. The Doctor crouched down and looked in his eyes. "Delayed reaction, I think. Let's have a look, shall we?" He touched Xander's temples and Looked.  
He saw Xander's life laid out like a road. He saw him as a boy, playing alone. Then with a little redheaded girl and another boy, naming each star. And the death of the other boy. He saw his parents, spewing out hatred and obscenities. He saw a small blond girl, saving them over and over. A little skinny girl made of green energy, seeing and knowing him. A brown haired man, reading and giving him strength. All of them making him strong, believing in better things. All of the demons they had battled, all of the possessions marking him for all time. He saw the vampire, Spike, and understood what he meant to Xander. He felt the pain of losing Anya, and felt the agony of the preacher taking his eye. And then he saw after. He saw the life leave his eye. Traveling alone, looking for strong girls, teaching and guiding. But never ever getting close.  
He watched the skies with Xander as he was. _You were waiting for me. Never alone again, I won't fail you. Not this time._ He reached back to see where he knew him from. A little orphaned boy, just eight, at Initiation Day and looking in the Untempered Schism with awe and fear. A child who would not run, even then. He saw the child grow, meeting the Cousins and being taught by Innocet in the House of Lungbarrow, after she had met the Doctor again. She told him of the gifts the Doctor had given her and she taught him all that she knew-telekinesis, to see omens, and her own values of steadfastness and loyalty. Later still, during the Time War, they'd met again at long last. He remembered being surprised at the wisdom in his eyes. He aided The Doctor in coming up with the plan to end it, the Master running away, but not him. 'Go. I'll give you time.' He knew what must be done. _He bought me time and I'd thought him dead. He burnt himself out, destroying half the Dalek fleet and now he's here again. Aodhfin. That's his name. It means 'White Fire.'_ It was very apt. From his birth, he had the power to control bio-energy through his mind, to channel it into a pathway and also a weapon. That kind of power was unheard of with Time Lords. It was why he'd been abandoned by his family. The Doctor knew that kind of pain. _No, never alone again._ He whispered a last thought to calm him. "Remember your true power, embrace it, but never to harm anyone." He then heard, "No, no harm to the innocent. And not to you, for we are family."  
The Doctor jerked back in shock. "You heard me. You were in my mind as well." Xander blinked sleepily at him. "Yeah, I saw you, too. Your life and everything. I can see so clearly now. Hey, I know where my bio-driver is!"  
"Bio-driver? What?" Xander looked sheepish. "It's like you sonic screwdriver, but I modified it. A lot."  
"With what?" Jack was curious to how the Doctor would react. 

"Um, I combined your basic sonic specs and vortex manipulation. Sooo, it can pretty much do anything. Nobody had one like mine, but that was, like, seven centuries ago, in the future I mean. Who knows what they've been able to do." The Doctor was gaping him. "You can't have! My screwdriver's top of the line!" 

"Really? I mean, of course it is. Pops." 

"Oi, you're winding me up!" 

"Duh. I'm okay now, by the way. And then there were four. Martha, still with us?" She grinned and nodded. "I'd like to see you keep him on his toes. Plus, there's still so much I haven't seen. Except..my mum and dad. Tish and Leo. What do I tell them? We've been to 2004 and 2009. And there's you, another Time Lord. Does that change timelines and realities? Should I go back?"


	8. Five B

The Doctor looked at Martha. He couldn't regret having her with him. She'd saved him in so many ways, taught him that mercy was better and to trust that not all humans were timid and weak. He was almost too far gone when she appeared, Rose an ache in his heart. He felt as if he'd ruined her. She had so much fire in her, had gotten that from her mum; he'd ruined them all. He liked Martha more than he could say, but she needed to fix things with them, to find her own way. He decided that he'd give her an out. "Well, technically no. See, remember that time we were stuck in 1969 and the Easter Eggs? It still applies. So you can go patch things up with your family. We'll be fine. And there's always visits and holidays and such."  
She peered at him "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were giving me the boot."

"NO! Just…I'm so sorry. I've lied to you and nearly forgot you once. Dunno how you still have faith in me."  
"How can I not? You're the Doctor. You've given me so much. And now I want to make sure that I can give back by preparing Earth. You said something was coming and I don't think it was the Master, despite everything that happened. So, I think, as much as I want to see more of everything with you, I will go home to my family."  
She shot him an enigmatic smile. "Besides, I think you'll have your hands full with those three. When do you think those two will get a clue?" They both looked at Spike and Xander, who were deep in conference over at the helm of the TARDIS. The Doctor nodded slowly and swayed a little. "Oh, I think they're on their way to figuring it out. They're good for each other. But all good things take time and effort."

Jack appeared next to Martha. "So? Are we ready to go? Everything is in tip top shape. All we need is a destination. Ma'am, where would you like to go?"

"Home, good sir. Home." They joined the two at the controls. Once again, they were flung, arms flailing for balance, until they weren't. The Doctor jumped to his feet.

"Well, here we are." He grinned at the room at large. He was also at the door before they staggered up. Spike grinned wryly at Jack. "Sure he's not a vamp?" Jack laughed and nodded towards the door.  
"Gentlemen, shall we?"  
The door opened into a large room with books on nearly every surface and a group of people gaping at them. A tall man whipped his glasses off. "Good Lord, _Xander!?"_

"Giles?!"

"SPIKE??" There it was, shrill screeching, right on cue.

"Bloody Hell!"

The Doctor, meanwhile, was wandering around the room, looking at the different books and exclaiming over the titles. "Blimey, they've got Nostradamus' early work! Back in my day- well, I should say forward 'cause 'back in my day' just makes me sound old, don't it? Well, I am old, but I feel..spry. Also, hungry. I wonder if we've missed tea. OH! Anyway, when I was in the Academy, you could only get that if you were a high level anthropologist! What do you lot do?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Could you please refrain from shifting the stack? They are in a particular order and extremely delicate. Who exactly are you?"

"I'm the Doctor."

"Of what?"

"Just The Doctor."

Giles managed to look displeased and interested all at once. "Xander, weren't you in Africa just this morning? How did you get here? Why is there a police box in my library?" Dawn, who'd been glaring viciously at Spike, gasped out, "THE Doctor?" The Doctor looked at Jack. "Didn't I just say that?"  
"No! I said it differently, so it doesn't count. Full of it, much? Here!" She snatched up a slim book and skimmed through it. "Oh, I'm Dawn and that's Giles. But I'm sure Xan's filled you in already. Oh, and don't even think of leaving me behind, mister. I know that I have to be there.Here it is:

 _"The Fall of Man_  
_and the fall of Time_  
_brings two Lords alike._

_One a man of snakeskin_

_the other a child of Hell._

_They shall bring the machines to reason_

_and the world to Light._

_Companions each right and true:_  
_The Key to All Doors_  
_The Man Who Cannot Die_  
_The Wicked Light_  
_And DoctorDonna_  
_Guiding, believing_  
_Restraining their terrible swift hand._

_The beginning and end of All_  
_Resting in the Oncoming Storm_

 _and his White Fire._ "

"Oh come on! Again?! There's always gotta be a stupid prophesy. Dawn, does it say anything else?" She glanced up at Xander. "Um, there should be, but the rest is gone. We only found this part. So, you're a Time Lord, huh? When did that happen? Oh, and is hottie the Man Who Cannot Die? And who's she?"  
"I'm Martha Jones. You're Dawn Summers, right? Xan talked about you a bit. This 'prophesy' refers to some nameless capitalized beings, so why are you so angry? It's not like it's set in stone, right?" She looked at Giles, Xander and Spike. They all looked resigned while the rest looked confused.

Spike lit his fiftieth cigarette "Simple, ducks. The Powers That Won't Let Anything Be decided we have to save the universe. Again. Those capitalized beings refer to us and the Bit. I'm not happy."  
Xander, ever the peacemaker, replied "Sorry, Spike. We'll just have to make sure nothing touches her. Martha, where do you live again? And who the hell is DoctorDonna?" Martha looked just as flummoxed as he did. Jack looked intrigued yet pleased. Except the Doctor, he looked like he wanted to cry and, at the same time, so very proud. Xander watched him carefully. Giles had had that same look at the tower. He knew who the last being was, but wasn't telling. The Doctor caught his eye and nodded slowly. Xander turned back to Dawn. "So, it's time to saddle up and see where the wind takes us. And by wind, I mean the Time And Relative Dimensions In Time and Space boxy...flying thing. Also, we might want to find the rest of the prophesy; it seems important. Hey, G Man? Should we call Buffy and let her know Dawn's going on a field trip? Giles? Giles?!"

The man was gaping at the TARDIS in awe and had a hand up, ready to touch but afraid to. He looked back, startled. "Oh. Yes, I believe that would be prudent. Tell me, Doctor, your 'machine'... it...flies?"  
"Oh, yes! It's a sentient being. On my home planet, these, it's a TARDIS, are grown."

"Grown, you say...did you say your home planet? Wh- what-where is this planet?" Giles had paled and then reddened, looking stunned. The Doctor faced the bookshelves abruptly. He looked down at his shoes, murmured "Gone. It's gone but not forgotten. I am the last. No, not right. _We_ are the last. Makes me feel...hmm...cheery, a little. You see, Time Lords can do many, many things. But they're short on humility and kindness. At least, most of the ones I knew. But your Xander, he's a new kind of Time Lord. He could do such fantastic things, even then, such as we'd never seen before. After the war, I looked for him everywhere, every place I went, but he'd disappeared as if he'd never been at all. I came to this planet and wound up in Sunnydale in 1981 at a hospital, in the nursery with all the tiny little babies. One looked right at me and I knew. I couldn't stay, I'd gotten a signal from Europe in the past, but I looked back, just once and he smiled at me. So, I came back to check on him and make sure I was right. When he'd met the Slayer- marvelous girl, really-I decided not to interfere. Not that I could, of course, but it was the one time I really wanted to. But I had to see to someone else, someone important and...effulgent."  
Spike looked up, shocked. "That was you?!" The Doctor just grinned and rocked back on his heels. Spike looked at Xander, who didn't look as surprised as he should have, considering. "You knew, too?"

"Not till after we met the Doctor. He had to make sure you got to where you needed to be. Now I know why we couldn't kill you."

Giles cleared his throat."Well, that's all well and good, but this prophesy, does it have to do with your war? What war is that, exactly?" He looked at the Doctor, but it was Xander who answered. "The Time War. Nearly every single life form fighting the Daleks. It was... incredible and terrifying. But that's all I'm going to say about it. It doesn't concern you." Spike noticed the not-so-singular emphasis on the word and worried. He was used to taking everything in stride, but the notion that either humans wouldn't exist or he and Xan would live long enough to assist in fighting his Time War was unbelievable and bloody terrifying in an exhilarating kind of way. Suddenly the concept of eternity stretched beyond measure. The soul was amazed as was the demon, only without the smugness. It was the fact that Xander would be there with him that calmed and excited him. _Wait, hold on. Why? 'Ours will be with us.' Apparently, that was the demon. 'We will not be cast aside for ridiculous sensibilities. We are timeless and now have someone to withstand it with us.' When the bloody hell did you two start talking?_ Silence and then the soul again. _'We have always spoken. You are just now ready to listen and not just hear us. We want him. We have always, and now have him. You must make sure he knows this.' 'Our is not stupid. We hear him.'_ Spike pondered that while the discussion went on around him. He thought of all the times he had spoken with Xander and concluded that the soul and demon were right. Xander had always reached out to include him, even when their individual lives were crumbling to pieces. He had shown him mercy when he'd gotten William and the soul had forgotten-not really, but saw echoes of someone else-about the Slayer, even though Spike had hoped she would see him still. At his Grandsire's side, William had prodded him to contact the Scoobies, but shame warred with pride and he couldn't. Then Xander had shown up and he felt all his selves take notice even as he beat them back. Now he watched for signs that they were not mistaken.  
"You okay, Brood Boy?" Xander leaned next to him, casually, but he could see the concern. "Yeah, just a lot to take in. How do you do it? You haven't got a demon and soul clamoring, but you've got a sodding lot of lives to sort through, yeah?" Xander sighed "Despite the practice runs, it's hard, but I'll get through it. Hell, I can ask the Doctor and Jack, but would you mind if I came to you?"  
Spike smiled. "I'd be honored, Xan." They looked up as Dawn came back, sniffly and furious as well. "I can't believe she'd pull that 'I'm your big sister and the Slayer, do as I say' bullshit! She can shove it up her ass! I'm going and that's final! Like Spike won't make sure I don't get killed and Xander doesn't know what he's saying. ARRRRGGGGGGGG!" She looked up at the stunned Giles, Martha, and The Doctor. Spike and Xander were unrepentantly smug and Jack was in tears from laughter. He recovered first. "And that's our cue to exit. This is gonna be so much fun!" They all trooped to where the TARDIS waited. Dawn hugged Giles nearly to death and made him promise to look after Buffy and Willow, but not Andrew, while smirking. The Doctor and Jack shook his hand and received their very graphic threats with grace. Spike grinned at his threats, shrugged, and hugged him too. Xander stood by and when his turn came, he tried not to cry. It didn't work. "Giles. You take care of yourself, okay. Don't make me come back when you're a teenager and embarrass the hell out of you. I can do that, you know." Giles just squeezed tighter and chuckled. "You, my boy, can come back whenever you like. I'm so very proud of you. Also, not surprised. If anyone should have an extraordinary destiny, it's you." They boarded and Giles peeked inside and froze, gaping. He heard Spike's cheerful "Careful, mate, it'll freeze that way." and watched the box disappear. Andrew found him in the same position two hours later.


End file.
